Photo: Ascendance Flight Technologies
Only a couple of years ago, the French startup Ascendance Flight Technologies was offering a first look at its flagship aircraft, the Atea VTOL (vertical take-off and landing). It has come a long way since then, as this new collaboration confirms – the Atea VTOL will start operating in the Asia-Pacific area in just a few years.
Yugo, a private aviation charter company that offers premium flights via jets and helicopters to customers in the Asia-Pacific region and in Europe, is ready to add to its fleet innovative VTOLs. The company announced a purchase contract with Ascendance, for the Atea aircraft. It seems that the range, capacity, and flexibility of this hybrid-electric model were the main features that determined Yugo to choose Ascendance.
Co-founded by aviation experts who were also former members of the E-FAN team at Airbus, the French startup has developed an aircraft boasting a unique design, and what the company claims is an “unprecedented” fan-in-wing technology and advanced hybrid engine configuration. A total of eight new-generation rotors are set in a tandem wing configuration, which gives Atea additional power during the challenging phases of take-off and landing, while also reducing noise.
Thanks to the hybrid propulsion system, using kerosene and batteries, this VTOL can cut carbon emissions by 80%, while also being four times quieter than a helicopter. It can fly on inter-city or regional routes for up to two hours, boasting a 400-km (248.5 miles) range. In addition to that, Atea was also designed with state-of-the-art flight controls, including complete data from the motors and batteries, which not only make this VTOL easier to operate, but also simplify future maintenance services.
The hybrid-electric VTOL is set to be delivered to Yugo in just three years, when it will start operating on routes in the Asia-Pacific region. Atea will become a pioneering aircraft in the region, as the first of its kind to be operated by a private aviation charter company.
Co-founded by aviation experts who were also former members of the E-FAN team at Airbus, the French startup has developed an aircraft boasting a unique design, and what the company claims is an “unprecedented” fan-in-wing technology and advanced hybrid engine configuration. A total of eight new-generation rotors are set in a tandem wing configuration, which gives Atea additional power during the challenging phases of take-off and landing, while also reducing noise.
Thanks to the hybrid propulsion system, using kerosene and batteries, this VTOL can cut carbon emissions by 80%, while also being four times quieter than a helicopter. It can fly on inter-city or regional routes for up to two hours, boasting a 400-km (248.5 miles) range. In addition to that, Atea was also designed with state-of-the-art flight controls, including complete data from the motors and batteries, which not only make this VTOL easier to operate, but also simplify future maintenance services.
The hybrid-electric VTOL is set to be delivered to Yugo in just three years, when it will start operating on routes in the Asia-Pacific region. Atea will become a pioneering aircraft in the region, as the first of its kind to be operated by a private aviation charter company.
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